Seed-cotton-hull extractor.



L. K. STEPHEN-S.

.SEED COTTON HULL EXTRAOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 2 1912.

Patented Aug". 19, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI.

L. K. STEPHENS.

SEED GOT TON HULL EXTRAGTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

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awuemtoz UNITED sTATns LOUIS K. STEPHENS, 01? DALLAS, TEXAS.

SEED-COTTON-HULL EXTRACTOR.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS K. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Ootton-HullExtractors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for clearing or extracting hulls fromseed cotton; and the object is to provide simple and inexpensivemachines which will be highly eflicient in removing the hulls from seedcotton and to use drafts of air on the cotton while the hulls are beingextracted.

There are two advantages gained by the use of air drafts and these arethe draft of air will hold the cotton in place for the hull removingdevice and the air will remove the dust and trash from the cotton and adraft is also for removing the cleaned cotton from the machine. Thecotton is thus treated twice in the machine by air drafts or suctiondrafts.

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the followingdescription and the invention will be more particularly pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisapplication.

Fignre 1 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical sect-iontaken substantially on the line a-.r of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view,showing a variation in the form of a hulling device. Fig. 4 is a detailview of the rotating cotton carrying member, the screen being omittedand parts of the rim strips being broken away.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same partsthroughout the several views.

This machine is provided with a frame composed. of posts 1 and suitablecrossbeams 2. A beam 3 is mounted on top of the frame. A vertical shaft4 is journaled in bearings 5 and 6, the former being attached to thebeam 3 and the latter being attached to the beam 7 A screened wheel 8 ismounted on the shaft 4 and is inclosed in a casing 9 which is supportedby the frame above described. The wheel 8 is provided with widepartitions or spokes 1.0 which extend practically from the upper side ofcasing 9 to the bottom 36 of the casing. Air pockets are formed betweenthe Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Serial No. 734,529.

:partitions for the purpose hereinafter explained. A portion of thecasing 9 is cut away in the top part 11 to expose a portion of thescreen on the wheel 8. A portion of the casing 9 is cut away at 12 toexpose a portion of the screen 13 on the wheel 8. The object of thisexposed portion is to provide an escape for the cotton which has beencleared of hulls. The cotton is removed as fast as it reaches thisexposed portion 12 by a suction pipe 14. The cotton to be cleaned isdelivered to the exposed portion 11 of the screened wheel 8 by achute'15. The Wheel 8 is driven by a shaft 4 and a bevel gear wheel 16rigid therewith and a bevel gear wheel 17 which is rigid with shaft 18which shaft is journaled in bearings 19. The hulls are removed from theseed cotton by a revolving huller 21. The form shown in Fig. l is aspiral conveyer. This conveyer is driven by the shaft 22 which isjournaled in a bearing 24 which is attached to a beam 2 and a bearing 25which is attached to the underside of the beam 3. The shaft 22 may bedriven by a drive pulley wheel 26. A variation in the huller is shown inFig. 3. This huller is provided with teeth 27 projecting radiallytherefrom and the teeth are spirally arranged on the drum 28. The shafts4 and 22 may be driven by any suitable power.

The cotton is held down on the screen 13 by air pressure. The wheel 8has air pockets formed therein by the spokes or partitions 10 and asuction pipe 29 is attached to the frame of the machine so that thepockets in the wheel 8 will pass the suction pipe in rotating. WVhensuction is created in the pipe 29, the seed cotton will be drawn downagainst the screen 13 and held there until the pocket thereunder passesunder the huller 21. The huller 21 will extract the hulls as the cottonpasses under the huller. The cotton will be held down against the screenand the hulls will be driven off at the side of the machine.

When the cotton on the screen passes under the casing 9 beyond thehuller 21, the air pressure ceases for two causes. The pocket thereunderhas passed out of communication with the suction pipe 29 and thepressure would be stopped by the casing 9. The

cottonlies loose on the screen 13 and as it passes under the suctionpipe 14 the cotton will be removed from the screen and delivered to somesuitable receptacle. A circular frame 34 extends approximately one halfthe distance around the Wheel 8 so that the air pockets in the Wheel 8Will be closed While they are passing the frame 34. The Wheel 8 isprovided With flexible flashings 32 secured thereon by metal strips 33for making an air-tight closure When passing the circular frame 34.Circular strips 31 are attached to the upper and lower edges of the endsof the spokes or partitions 10 for making these partitions rigidrelative to each other and to the disks 30. Fig. t illustrates theconstruction of the Wheel 8. A hopper 35 is provided to hold the cottonon the moving and exposed portion of the screen 13 on Wheel 8. Ascreened moving surface is thus provided to move under a hulling device.This screened Wheel has compartments or pockets which are made to passunder the hulling device and the Wheel 8 is driven by the shaft 1. Whichis driven by the drive pulley Wheel 20.

Various changes may be made in the construction of this machine Withoutdeparting from the purpose of this invention, the essential feature ofwhich is to pass a screened compartment under a hull extractor Whilepneumatic pressure is utilized to hold the cotton down on the screen.

What I claim is,

1. A hull extractor comprising a frame and a casing supported thereby, ahull extracting device, a cotton carrying member having a plurality ofscreened compartments moving under said hull extracting device, meansfor delivering cotton to said carrying member and means for removingcleaned cotton therefrom, and a suction pipe con nected to said frame ina position to exert pressure through each compartment on the cottoncarried by said carrying member as each compartment is passing andremains in communication with said suction pipe.

2. A hull extractor comprising a frame and a casing supported thereby, ahull extracting device, a cotton carrying member having a plurality ofscreened compartments moving under said hull extracting device, meansfor delivering cotton to said carrying member and means for removingcleaned cotton therefrom, and means for directing pneumatic pressure onthe cotton While passing under said hull extracting device.

3. A hull extractor comprising a frame and a casing supported thereby, ahull extracting device, a cotton carrying Wheel having a plurality ofscreened compartments journaled in said frame Within said casing andmoving under said hull. extracting device, means for directing pneumaticpressure on cotton carried by said Wheel While passing under said hullextracting device, and means for driving said hull extracting device.

4. A hull extractor comprising a frame and a casing supported thereby, arevolving hull extracting device, a cotton carrying Wheel having aplurality of screened compartments journaled in said frame and movingunder said hull extracting device, means for delivering cotton to saidscreened compartments, and a suction pipe connected to said frame fordirecting pneumatic pressure on the cotton carried by said Wheel whenever a compartment is passing said suction pipe.

5. A hull extractor comprising a frame and a casing supported thereby, arevolving hull extracting device, a rotating cotton carrying memberhaving a plurality of screened compartments journaled in said frameWithin said casing and moving under said hull extracting device, saidcasing having portions thereof cut away for delivering cotton to andremoving cotton from said carrying member, and a suction pipe connectedto said frame for directing pneumatic pressure on the cotton while thecotton is passing under said hull extracting device, each compartmentremaining in communication With said suction pipe While the cotton onthe surface of the compartment is passing under said extracting device.

6. A hull extractor comprising a frame and casing supported thereby, arevolving hull extracting device, a cotton carrying member having aplurality of screened compartments moving under said hull extractingdevice, means for delivering cotton to said carrying member, means fordirecting pneumatic pressure on the cotton While passing under said hullextracting device, a suction pipe connected to said casing for removingclean-ed cotton from said carrying member, and means for sealing eachcompartment approximately airtight While passing said suction pipeexcept through said suction pipe.

In testimony whereof, I set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses,this 16th day of November, 1912.

LQUIS K. STEPHENS.

Vitnesses A. L. JACKSON, C. J. RICHARDSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

